What Me, Worry?

In one of my recent blogs I talked about the importance of sleep, and some things you can do to promote getting a restful night’s sleep. But what happens when you can’t sleep because you can’t turn your brain off, and your worries and stresses keep repeating over and over in your head? Or when this happens during the day, and worry distracts you from focusing on what you need to do in the moment?

What Exactly is Worry?

It’s important to realize that thinking hard about something and problem-solving is a useful thing, but that is not the same thing as worry. Worry is repeatedly thinking about something you can’t (at least in the moment) do anything about. Turning on your brain to problem-solve is like starting your truck to go somewhere—you have a purpose and a destination.  Worry is like starting your truck and leaving it running all night long—you’re not getting anywhere and you’re going to run out of gas and burn out your engine.

Worry increases your stress levels, and can truly burn you out. It is not healthy and makes you tired, short-tempered, and hard to be around.  So, what can you do to stop unhealthy worrying?

Some Actions to Take When You Can’t Stop Worrying

There are lots of things you can do to interrupt the worry whirling around in your head.

One thing people have found helpful is some form of distraction. Do something that fills your mind so you get a break from thinking about your worries. Try listening to your favorite music and block out everything else for a bit.  Or play with your dog or child or grandchild—it’s hard not to be filled with joy when you’re with a little one. Maybe you have a hobby, something that demands all your focus like woodworking. Try spending 15 minutes with your hobby.

Another helpful strategy is externalizing, or putting the worry outside of your brain. Write your worries down in a notebook once a day, and then put the notebook away. Or find a close friend or loved one and talk your worries out. Just ask them to listen, not try to fix things for you. Getting the worry off your chest can be a huge relief.

Finally, you can do some things to intentionally quiet your whirling brain. Start a gratitude notebook and take ten minutes each evening to write down all the things you’re grateful for, breathing and thinking about the positive things in your life.  Something as simple as five minutes of box breathing (see my earlier blog on that) while focusing on counting your breaths and nothing else can also make a big difference.

When you find that you can’t stop worrying, stop, pick one of the strategies I just mentioned (or another one you come up with yourself), and try it. Figure out which strategies work for you, and commit to doing them every time your worry gets out of control. Don’t let worry burn you out. You need a quiet, focused mind to thrive on your farm!